Compound Exercises

Yes, after a break of a year or so, I'm going to resume weightlifting. Mostly because I haven't been able to train in martial arts and I need something else to make me feel big, tough and manly. I used to do squats, but I don't want to anymore, because my legs are fucking huge, and I don't want them to get any bigger. Seriously, it's like the more leg muscle you have, the more leg kicks hurt or something. Also, I was running a mile race today and got embarrassed, because the last time I ran a mile race, I weighed 170 pounds. Now I weigh 200 and can't run as far because of what I think is internal resistance. Maybe I should start sprinting or something.

Anyway, I was looking into powercleans. Does anyone have any reliable video videos that show good technique and so forth? I don't have a trainer. Can't afford a trainer. **** trainers. The internet will suffice.

So:

1) Powerclean videos and advice
2) Any other compound exercises that would be good? Should I be squatting anyway?
3) What kind of excercie/weight/reps systems would be good for not gaining so much muscle that I have to move up another weight class?

Originally Posted by Goju - joe

being a dick with skill is only marginally better than being a dick without skill.

Why do you care about weight class if you aren't competing?
(oh, and hey, how ya been?)

Because I haven't lifted any weights in a year and I haven't lost any weight. I figure gaining weight (muscle) is easier than losing it, so I'd rather not get to 220 pounds and then have to fight people who are 5 inches taller than I am at some point in the future.

Originally Posted by Goju - joe

being a dick with skill is only marginally better than being a dick without skill.

work on your form, look for Teh el Macho posts on the subject and hit up the Crossfit website would be a good start

there's a breakdown of the Olympic lifting routine: deadlift, then front squat then clean&press and clean&jerk and yes, the squat. It's all part of the total package.

Do some research, I'm too scattered these days to find what I'm thinking of. Hit YouTube as well, there's some very good stuff out there. Form is the most important, especially if you're working solo. DON'T get injured with bad posture, over-racking, blowing out your shoulders cause you are snapping the bar too far behind your head...etc etc

Its actually totally fucking complicated stuff, which is why it works so well.

:)

Many things we do naturally become difficult only when we try to make them intellectual subjects. It is possible to know so much about a subject that you become totally ignorant.
-Mentat Text Two (dicto)

Anyway, I was looking into powercleans. Does anyone have any reliable video videos that show good technique and so forth?

Interestingly enough, one of my judo coaches was talking about making an instructional video for cleans today at class. If he does so and is okay with it winding up on Youtube, etc., I'll see that you get a link.

As far as not putting on a bunch of size, there are two main kinds of muscular growth:
-Myofibrillar hypertrophy: growth of the fibers ("myofibrils") that do the actual pulling (see this post)
-Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy: growth of the body of fluid ("sarcoplasm") surrounding the fibers

The former increases the maximum force your muscles can produce, the latter (usually) increases the duration your muscles can produce said force for. The important thing to bear in mind here is that there's a lot more fluid than fibers by volume, so moderate myofibrillar hypertrophy won't actually make you a lot bigger.

As far as how to trigger one or the other, the theory goes (see this literature review) that you trigger sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (for bigger muscles) by exhausting the muscles' internal energy stocks (ATP + phosphocreatine + glycogen). Think long sets, ending in failure.

So keep your intensity levels high and your sets short, and you shouldn't balloon up.

He's not going to blow up doing pistols and one handed pushups. Once he can do enough reps to be in the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy range (8-12), he's not going to add more weight 'to the bar' and stay in the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy range, he's going to push the reps out into the endurance range mostly working muscular endurance by developing vasculature.

Think 'gymnast' rather than 'bodybuilder'. Guys who can do 20 or more chinups or 100 good form pushups do not tend to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Besides, even if he wanted to look like that he'd have to eat a shitload of a carefully controlled diet to get anywhere close, even if he had the genetics to do it without taking steroids.